What Matters Most
by murasen
Summary: He would rather be here then anywhere else, with her, because he'd fallen head over heels.


She was so incredibly alluring and it killed him inside each moment he spent not touching her. He wanted her to be in his arms, holding him like it meant the world, and kissing him as if he was the only thing that ever mattered. He wanted her wrapped around his finger to show her every reason why they were still so in love.

And as he guided her to the bed, pressing a much needed kiss to her lips before she fell back onto the soft mattress, he soon followed, reciprocating earlier actions. He dived for her neck, enveloping the area with a thousand more traces of his mouth before sliding down to her collarbone, stopping right before her chest to gaze up at the woman he loved. She was quick to pull him down to her lips, fingers already entangled in his smooth, dark brown locks as they shared another sweet kiss.

With her around, all he wanted to do was hold her close; feel her body mold into his each time they interacted with each other like this—intimate and heated. No feeling could possibly beat having her skin touch his in an act of passion neither could ever forget. She meant everything to him and he knew he wanted her in his life forever.

Her leg traced a path up his thigh, and Shepard pulled away from her lips to steal a glance at the woman under him. Tali's black hair was sprawled around her, illuminating her skin and defining every smooth curve of her body. Her white eyes gazed up at him with a sort of intensity he was long since familiar with. She sighed from her mouth, once again caught breathless, and smiled up at him. "What?"

He grinned in return, brushing a lock of her dark hair away from her face. "Nothing. I just wanted to see your face again before I get buried in your beauty."

Tali chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Flatterer."

Shepard let out a puff of air from his nose before reuniting their mouths, caught yet in another feverish lip-lock. She was so unbelievably irresistible and he had a hard time keeping his hands off of her. His fingers traced paths up her sides and around her hips, occasionally caressing the skin of her abdomen and stomach. Two decades spent locked away in that suit had done well for her skin. Everywhere his hands seemed to move was like caressing something made of silk—soft and smooth to the touch. Sometimes he'd leave trails that touched her scars, a small circle with two lines falling down and traveling up. One was near her ribs and the other on her forearm. Both were gunshot wounds. He could relate to the pain, but couldn't imagine the recovery. It took Tali months to heal, and she experienced enough fevers to outmatch the ones he had as a homeless child.

He remembered first seeing her scars. The only one he recalls was the wound she received before coming in contact with Fist. He kissed the battered lines of her skin enough to make the woman giggle and pull him into a brief kiss.

Now, when he touched her scars, he was gentle and careful. They were still so sensitive and fragile. He was shocked to be aware of them at first, but then again, Tali was always surprising him.

Including right now. Shepard was so caught up in the moment that it hadn't occurred to him he was on his back and she was above him. Once again, he didn't mind. Tali was usually submissive, but he admired the parts of her that were dominant and had power.

As her hand glided over his chest, the woman had leaned far enough down to fluster him in all the right places.

"This I can take." He said, curling his fingers around her thighs with a smirk.

Tali grinned, leaning down to copy his movements from not too long ago. He could feel her lips tug at the skin of his neck. Every trace she left had him burning with desire.

"Commander Shepard."

The voice was most definitely not Tali's and the woman yelped, hopping off of her partner to claw for the sheets with the intention of covering her frame. She threw a pillow at the commander as the couple glared down the door, assuming someone had walked in on them. The entry was supposed to be locked. Both had checked.

"Your crew wish to meet with you in the war room. Tali'Zorah is also missing and cannot be located." Shepard sighed in frustration. "Thank you, EDI. I'll get to it right away." Right when things were about to get serious and potentially very charming…

He unwillingly threw on his clothes, being quick to tie his boots and fix any imperfections. Tali was over near their bed, tugging on her suit and fastening the buckles around her body. He couldn't help but steal glances at her every now and then, admiring her figure.

"Come downstairs a couple minutes after I leave so we look less suspicious." He said, making his way towards her to assist in helping the quarian woman back into her suit.

Tali laughed. "You're very guilty, commander." She turned away from him with a smirk, sliding her arms into the sleeves. "You're still blushing."

"You're not helping." He replied with huff, fastening the buckles on her back and neck.

Tali had taken care of the rest quickly, stealing a kiss from the man's lips before concealing her face behind the mask. "Now go. Your crew is waiting."

He smiled, squeezing her hand before moving towards the door. "I'll see you downstairs?"

"Without a doubt."

/P/

"It's about damn time you showed up." Garrus scowled at the commander as he made his entrance. "We've been waiting forever."

"Where's Tali?" Liara asked, peering over his shoulder in hope that the quarian might have followed him here. She was not met with what she half-expected.

"She'll be down in a minute." Shepard grumbled, assuming a stance over by the main comm. system. He scrolled through the data present on the computer screen. Information regarding their mission on Thessia appeared. Surely the asari homeworld was still a month away.

"Where is she?" James Vega questioned.

"Given by the condition of Shepard's neck, I'd say she was—"

"Garrus, I swear to god I will throw you out of the airlock." The commander frowned, sending the turian a hard glare full of disdain. The hard-headed turian puffed out his mandibles.

"A wise choice, commander." Javik chirped. "A dishonorable death in my times granted to those who, "he turned towards the turian, "like to question their superiors."

"You were thinking the same thing, Javik." Garrus teased. The prothean shrugged, waving off the comment with a, "you cannot read minds."

"Wait, so were you really—"

Shepard interrupted the officer in blue on his left, cutting off the man's question with his palm. Kaiden chuckled.

"I hate all of you." Shepard grumbled. "You're all assholes."


End file.
